Flags lowered to honor late war veteran Plumley

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Flags at state facilities are being lowered in honor of a West Virginia native whose exploits as an Army infantryman were portrayed in a book and the movie "We Were Soldiers.''Basil L. Plumley fought in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam and was awarded a medal for making five parachute jumps into combat.

The retired command sergeant major died last Wednesday in hospice care in west Georgia at the age of 92.West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin ordered all state flags to be lowered from dawn to dusk Tuesday, when funeral services are scheduled for the Raleigh County native.

Actor Sam Elliott played Plumley in the 2002 film starring Mel Gibson that was based on the 1992 Vietnam War book.